Dealers: Local vehicle sales remain steady

Despite poor gas mileage, trucks still among top sellers

Despite poor gas mileage, trucks still among top sellers

July 14, 2007|By Angela Mettler, American News Writer

Although the price of gasoline continues to rise, people buying new cars don't always take gas mileage into consideration, say local car dealers. At Pierson Ford- Lincoln-Mercury, the Ford F150 pickup - which gets 14 miles per gallon in town and 18 on the highway - is the most popular vehicle. "It way outsells everything else at this dealership," said general manager Tom Barber. "You're in an agricultural community, and people love the trucks here." Pickups are also more popular than cars at the Aberdeen Chrysler Center, said sales manager Tony Emery. The Dodge Ram 1500 is the dealership's bestselling truck. "We haven't noticed any slowdown (of sales) in vehicles that don't get good gas mileage," he said. But cars that offer good gas mileage are the most sought-after vehicles at Harr Motors, said owner Matt Harr. The Toyota Camry and Honda Civic, two of Harr's bestselling cars, get 33 and 40 mpg on the highway, respectively. Hybrid cars, such as the Toyota Prius, are increasing in popularity as well, Harr said. Harr Motors gets three or four every month and sells them all. And it's no wonder - the Prius gets 60 mpg in town and 51 on the highway. Instead of using gasoline to power the car, a hybrid car uses a battery in conjunction with gasoline, reducing the amount of gasoline the car uses. The energy created by pressing the brakes of a hybrid car is used to charge the battery, Harr said. The Toyota Camry, Harr Motors' bestselling car, also comes in a hybrid version, but the regular version sells better, Harr said. Despite their gas mileage, pickups are also popular at Harr Motors - the Toyota Tundra is all the rage. "That has just been flying out of here like crazy," Harr said. "We're just selling all of them we can get." Although some people are concerned about gas mileage saving money at the pump, others want to save money by using E-85, a gasoline blend of up to 85 percent ethanol. Kevin Rath, lease manager of Steven Lust Automotive, said no one vehicle outsells the rest, but almost everyone buying a new vehicle asks if it can use E-85. "A lot of people ask just because if you don't (ask), you have to make sure your car or truck is E-85 compatible before you can put E-85 in it," he said. Barber said 20 percent to 30 percent of Pierson Ford's customers ask about E-85, and Emery said E-85 doesn't seem to be a big concern for the Chrysler Center's customers. "There's a trade off with (E-85) because they don't get as good of (gas) mileage," Emery said. Harr said E-85 is important in the area for the same reason pickups are popular - agriculture. "In our part of the country, (E-85 is) a big topic of conversation," he said. Whether a vehicle is E-85 compatible, a hybrid, gets great gas mileage or not-so-great gas mileage, new car sales have stayed steady locally, said the four local dealers - despite the fact that U.S. automakers' new car sales are down nationally. On July 3, the Associated Press reported U.S. automakers General Motors Corp.'s sales dropped 21.3 percent compared with June 2006, Ford Motor Co.'s sales dropped 8.1 percent and Chrysler Group's dropped 1.4 percent. However, Nissan's sales increased 22.7 percent, Toyota Motor Corp.'s increased 10.2 percent and Honda Motor Co. rose 11.5 percent, according to the Associated Press. "We don't get the big peaks and valleys around here that they do nationwide," Rath said. "We'll stay a little bit more even around here."